GULF SHORES, Ala. – There were irrepressible grins all around as new guides for the Hummingbird Zipline made their way from the final tower on Lake Shelby to the parking lot.

The much-anticipated zipline will finally open Saturday morning after a fast start, a bureaucratic snag and to having Saturday’s opening date set.

“That’s what we’re shooting for,” partner JT Lemons said. “Everything’s built, the lines are up, the towers are up. We’re making minor adjustments and things like that. We hope to be ready to open Saturday.”

He greeted happy crew members Tuesday afternoon.

“Woo hoo,” shouted Elizabeth Golson of Orange Beach, still wearing the helmet and harness trappings of a training zipline guide.

“This young lady’s not excited about it at all,” Lemons said with a laugh. “They’re fired up.”

He owns the Adventure Center at Gulf State Park with Tom Schlinkert.

Tuesday was the beginning of training for the crews who will go live with paying zippers in a few days. Individual rates are $79 plus tax, but group rates are available. Rates and reservations can be made at www.gulfadventurecenter.com.

“That was our first time to actually get to do the whole course and it was awesome,” trainee Craig Bryan of Gulf Shores said. “It was exhilarating. At the end there’s actually two lines for you and you race down against somebody else.

“I’m so excited. I’m so excited about it.”

Bryan said those training the guides were also part of the crews involved in construction of the towers and lines.

“They’ve all been trainers and they’ve all been guides and they really show you what you need and they really help you,” he said.

The snag that caused the month’s delay had to do with a rare “recreation permit” a state official showed up one day asking for, Schlinkert said. After finally securing the necessary permit, work resumed in late February.  

“We were hoping to do a soft opening last month,” Lemons said. “Now that we’re into spring break almost there’s not going to be a soft opening. It’s just going to be hot and heavy from the beginning.”

One event the pair is looking forward to is playing host to the Relay for Life cancer fundraiser on April 6.

“We’re going to do the first ever zip relay for cancer,” Schlinkert said. “Every zip trip will have a Relay person on it that day. And we’re also going to donate 10 percent of our proceeds that day as well.

“It’s a good thing and I think that it’s cool that never in the history of the Relay has there never been anything but walking. So we’re going to do the first zip relay.”

It takes about two and a half hours to complete the course beginning with an initial training session underneath the old lake store. The store is now the company’s office and retail space.

The area underneath is for a class on how to use the zipline complete with a practice zip that patrons must complete for taking on the real thing.

“From here there will be a swinging bridge from the building that will take you to the deck height up about 15 to 18 feet to a deck,” Schlinkert said. “This is not an amusement ride. You’ll not only meet and be associated with your guides, but you’ll also get an education about the lake, the Gulf, the fauna, so when you leave here, you’ll take something with you. That’s a major goal for in seeing this happen. It is an educational experience.”

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